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Wearing a cervical collar along with cpap has helped me tremendously
Just thought I'd post this, since it has been a wonderful breakthru for me. I've been on the cpap for a year and a half now. It has helped alot, but until recently it was still hit and miss. I increased my pressure, tried different masks, but still had lousy days where I felt like I had apneas the night before.
This changed two months ago, when I went to bed wearing a firm foam 3 1/2 cervical collar. I work in the medical profession and when we do CPR on patients, we tilt the head backward to open up the trachea. So I thought I would do this on myself. My head really isn't tilted backward, but the tip of my chin is at about a 90 degree angle from my chest while wearing the collar. I also use a cloth--a wash cloth and place it between the front of my neck and the collar to give my chin firm support, so it can't push down the collar at night.
It takes a few nights to get accustomed to the feel. And make sure you don't make the collar too tight. It almost feels like you are getting strangled--and that's not good.
But I honestly can say that wearing my cpap with my cervical collar, I have had the best sleeps in 30 plus years.
I'm hoping my discovery can help others too.
All the best, Noah Calderon.
Views: 2810
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Noah Calderon on
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If one of us is at all business savy, we should start marketing a c-collar for sleep apnea. Owen, I would be curious to find out how your new sleep study goes while wearing your c-collar. Great it is working for you.
i get a little more leverage with my 3 1/2 inch collar by rolling up a sock and then placing it under my chin and also tucking it into the c-collar. great it is working for you. I told people about this and how it improves my sleeps when I started using a c-collar many months and alot of people discounted me.
Well, all I can say, is that it certainly has been heaven sent for me. All the best, Noah
Owen Dell said:I'm sorry to say that I tore the tag off it and so I'm not able to tell you what brand it is. But it's a generic type that's available in lots of the larger pharmacies, especially those that deal with medical equipment and supplies as opposed to just medicines. It has a foam core that comes in a choice of medium or firm support, and it's covered with a light-colored stretchy knitted fabric that's kind of like a sock. I don't know if sending a URL will work, but a photo of one can be found at http://bit.ly/blaN7E.
After a couple of months of use, I'm still happy with it. It's quite comfortable, and I would even say that it is soothing to wear. It sure improves my sleep. One thing I would change is to have a little more height to the collar. The height of the collar measured from where it contacts the chin to where it contacts the chest is 3-1/2 inches when uncompressed. I have a somewhat longer than average neck so it allows a bit more play than I'd like. I think if I had another inch of height it would be even more effective in keeping my neck in a neutral position than it is now. Maybe someone makes them in different heights, but the only choice I had at our local pharmacy was medium, large, or extra large size and that seems to relate to circumference around the neck rather than height. I have two of them, one in the large size and one in the extra large size; they are both 3-1/2 inches in height. I may try the idea of wrapping the collar in a towel to add a little more height and rigidity.
I'd also like to say that I recently saw the neurologist who monitors my apnea, and I ran this experience by him. He had never heard of this strategy, but surprisingly he was quite open-minded about it. He suggested that I get a new sleep study done while wearing the collar, with and without using the CPAP. I suggested that since I appeared to be making medical history, perhaps the medical profession could chip in and pay the $1,000 for my sleep study, in light of the fact that I have a high-deductible insurance policy and therefore would have to pay the entire cost of the study. He didn't have an answer for that one. No sense of humor, these doctors. I may get the study some time when I'm feeling like living it up.
Owen
doglover894 said:What brand of collar do you have? Thanks for the tip.
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Doglover,
the best c-collar I have found is the DeRoyal. Bought it on Deroyal.com. it is very firm and stays firm. 3 1/2 inch think. I think I bought it for about $15. Noah.
Noah Calderon said:If one of us is at all business savy, we should start marketing a c-collar for sleep apnea. Owen, I would be curious to find out how your new sleep study goes while wearing your c-collar. Great it is working for you.
i get a little more leverage with my 3 1/2 inch collar by rolling up a sock and then placing it under my chin and also tucking it into the c-collar. great it is working for you. I told people about this and how it improves my sleeps when I started using a c-collar many months and alot of people discounted me.
Well, all I can say, is that it certainly has been heaven sent for me. All the best, Noah
Owen Dell said:I'm sorry to say that I tore the tag off it and so I'm not able to tell you what brand it is. But it's a generic type that's available in lots of the larger pharmacies, especially those that deal with medical equipment and supplies as opposed to just medicines. It has a foam core that comes in a choice of medium or firm support, and it's covered with a light-colored stretchy knitted fabric that's kind of like a sock. I don't know if sending a URL will work, but a photo of one can be found at http://bit.ly/blaN7E.
After a couple of months of use, I'm still happy with it. It's quite comfortable, and I would even say that it is soothing to wear. It sure improves my sleep. One thing I would change is to have a little more height to the collar. The height of the collar measured from where it contacts the chin to where it contacts the chest is 3-1/2 inches when uncompressed. I have a somewhat longer than average neck so it allows a bit more play than I'd like. I think if I had another inch of height it would be even more effective in keeping my neck in a neutral position than it is now. Maybe someone makes them in different heights, but the only choice I had at our local pharmacy was medium, large, or extra large size and that seems to relate to circumference around the neck rather than height. I have two of them, one in the large size and one in the extra large size; they are both 3-1/2 inches in height. I may try the idea of wrapping the collar in a towel to add a little more height and rigidity.
I'd also like to say that I recently saw the neurologist who monitors my apnea, and I ran this experience by him. He had never heard of this strategy, but surprisingly he was quite open-minded about it. He suggested that I get a new sleep study done while wearing the collar, with and without using the CPAP. I suggested that since I appeared to be making medical history, perhaps the medical profession could chip in and pay the $1,000 for my sleep study, in light of the fact that I have a high-deductible insurance policy and therefore would have to pay the entire cost of the study. He didn't have an answer for that one. No sense of humor, these doctors. I may get the study some time when I'm feeling like living it up.
Owen
doglover894 said:What brand of collar do you have? Thanks for the tip.
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Permalink Reply by Matt on
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If you saw it on google images, you can see it's pretty aggressive. But I like the way it both positions your neck from the back, and holds the chin up and forward. Been years since I've had one on, but it's like riding a bike, just not as fun :\, might give it a try if other things don't work out for me.
Mary Z said:Matt, don't know what the Philadelphia type collar looks like.
Mary Z.
Matt said:I thought of trying this, but worried the cervical collar would be strangling, So I was wondering about the Philadelphia style cervical collar, anyone try that? Just thinking out loud...
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Just in case you miss my new posting, I'm repeating it here for anyone following this thread:
February 4, 2011
Posting at http://www.sleepguide.com/forum/topics/cervical-collar-replaces-cpap
Today was a special day for me.
A few months ago I decided to see if wearing an inexpensive foam cervical collar (see typical example at http://bit.ly/h6YsBj) during sleep would help mitigate my severe sleep apnea. I got the idea because I noticed that my airway would begin to be constricted when I allowed my head to drop forward as it naturally does during sleep. Conversely, straightening my neck out would unkink the airway and allow for unobstructed breathing. My theory was that the collar would gently keep my neck in place, allowing my breathing to proceed normally and thereby reducing the number of apneas I would experience. It seemed to work pretty well, but of course I was hesitant to quit using the CPAP without knowing for sure just how effective the collar was in practice.
By way of background, in 2007 a sleep study revealed that I was experiencing 33 apneas per hour, and so I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and outfitted with a CPAP.
Like many people, I have always found the CPAP to be uncomfortable. In addition to the discomfort, I was unhappy about having to carry it along on trips, and I despaired of the prospect of never being able to go backpacking or river rafting again. So when I came up with the idea of using the cervical collar to keep my neck straight while sleeping, I had a fantasy that it just might replace the CPAP.
A week ago, I had a sleep study done while wearing the collar, and today I received the results from my doctor. He and I were both stunned to learn that I had only ONE apnea while wearing the collar. He advised me to put my CPAP in its case and not worry about using it anymore, as long as I slept with the collar on. As far as I know, this is the first time the efficacy of a cervical collar has been tested in a sleep study. Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed with delight at the outcome, which is much more than I had hoped for.
Tonight I will sleep without the discomfort of the CPAP mask for the first time in over 3 years. I can't wait to go to bed, but first I wanted to share this news with the sleep apnea community. While it should be clear that this approach won't necessarily work for everyone, and while of course I am NOT recommending that you try this without first talking with your doctor, I do suggest that others consider the possibility that a cervical collar will work for them too, and perhaps try a sleep study to see if that is the case.
There is almost nothing in the medical literature about the use of collars for apnea, and I have heard of only a couple of other people who have independently come up with this solution. So I believe there is a bit of medical history in the works here, and I am happy to report a good result in my case. I would be even happier to find that this works for others. I'd love to hear any news about this development, and I wish you all the best of luck with your management of your apnea.
Owen Dell
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Question to BOTH Noah Calderon AND Owen Dell:
What position do you sleep in?
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I sleep mostly on my back, and part of the time on my right side.
Steven XXXX said:
Question to BOTH Noah Calderon AND Owen Dell:
What position do you sleep in?
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Owen Dell said: I sleep mostly on my back and part of the time on my right side.
Does the Cervical Collar work just as good when you are sleeping on your right side as it does when you are sleeping on your back?
Seems like it would only work if you are sleeping on your back - but then you are the one that has done the real life testing.
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It's hard to say but I think it works well in either position. I should have mentioned that I also use a cylindrical pillow, shaped like a big hot dog, that's about 5 inches in diameter and a little over a foot long (a foot long hot dog pillow, I guess!). It's filled with buckwheat. It's homemade, not something you can buy in a store. So the hot dog helps throw my head back when I'm sleeping on my back. When I roll over onto my side, I take the hot dog away and sleep on the underlying memory foam conventional pillow.
The sleep study showed only one apnea the whole time, so it seemed to work in both sleeping positions.
Owen
Steven XXXX said:
Owen Dell said: I sleep mostly on my back and part of the time on my right side.
Does the Cervical Collar work just as good when you are sleeping on your right side as it does when you are sleeping on your back?
Seems like it would only work if you are sleeping on your back - but then you are the one that has done the real life testing.
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Thanks for the cervical collar tip. I actually went out and bought one today. Hope it works!!
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Permalink Reply by Rooster on
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MARIE G. said:Thanks for the cervical collar tip. I actually went out and bought one today. Hope it works!!Marie, How will you know whether or not it works?
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Owen Dell said:It's hard to say but I think it works well in either position. I should have mentioned that I also use a cylindrical pillow, shaped like a big hot dog, that's about 5 inches in diameter and a little over a foot long (a foot long hot dog pillow, I guess!). It's filled with buckwheat. It's homemade, not something you can buy in a store. So the hot dog helps throw my head back when I'm sleeping on my back. When I roll over onto my side, I take the hot dog away and sleep on the underlying memory foam conventional pillow.
The sleep study showed only one apnea the whole time, so it seemed to work in both sleeping positions.
QUESTION:
Wouldn't just the cylindrical pillow accomplish the same thing without the Cervical Collar - when you are sleeping on your back?
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I tried the 3 1/2" wide foam cervical collar along with a rolled up sock tucked in the front for chin support. I also used a small rectangular buckwheat pillow instead of my contoured memory foam pillow. I slept on my side with my head and chin pointed upwards. I had a really excellent night's sleep! I use an auto-bipap machine. I had the mma jaw surgery a year ago and unfortunately still have sleep apnea. I too experienced hit and miss nights with the bipap and suspected it was due to my head position - I naturally sleep with my chin pointed towards my chest thereby kinking my airway. The collar really prevents this. I wonder if I would benefit from an additional surgery such as the tongue/hyoid advancement.
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